PBA Galleries

Photograph of the four-story building at 137 Waverly Place in San Francisco, ornately festooned with flags and decorations for their Fifth Congress. The Hop Sing Tong was established in the United States in 1875, with branches in a number of cities in the American West. The Chinese-American Tongs were secret societies or sworn brotherhoods, offering some social cohesion and protection, but are often tied to criminal activity.